NYT connections hints and answers for March 20 puzzle

NYT Connections

Connections is a daily word game from The New York Times, available on its website and app. Players must categorize 16 words into four related groups. Each group follows a theme, such as common phrases or shared characteristics. The challenge lies in identifying connections while avoiding misleading similarities.

Words can be shuffled for better pattern recognition. Incorrect guesses reduce the number of attempts, and after four mistakes, the game ends. Groups are colour-coded: yellow is the easiest, green and blue are moderate, and purple is typically the trickiest, often involving wordplay.

Today's words: GENIE, BUNGEE, STRAIT, VOCAL, SHIP, EXTENSION, DIRECT, MESSAGE, LOUD, SOUND, SPINAL, CHANNEL, UMBILICAL, BAY, LIGHTNING, FRANK.

Yellow – Expressing opinions openly

Green – Types of water bodies

Blue – Different kinds of cords

Purple – Items often found in bottles

Outspoken words: DIRECT, FRANK, LOUD, VOCAL

Water bodies: BAY, CHANNEL, SOUND, STRAIT

Types of cords: BUNGEE, EXTENSION, SPINAL, UMBILICAL

Bottled items: GENIE, LIGHTNING, MESSAGE, SHIP

The puzzle presented a challenge with misleading connections. Initially, grouping "VOCAL" with cord-related terms resulted in a near miss. Recognizing the water bodies first helped clarify the remaining categories.